Functional coupling between frontal cortex and auditory cortex in echolocating bats

• Applicant: Dr. Julio Hechavarria
• Subject Area: Cognitive, Systems and Behavioural Neurobiology
• Term: since 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 275755787

Auditory and frontal cortices interact with one another during sound production and processing, and these interactions are a fundamental component of the hearing-action cycle. In a previous project (grant HE 7478/1-1) we studied the dynamics of activation between frontal and auditory cortex areas of the bat brain. Our findings produced data for 8 articles (6 published, 1 submitted and 1 under preparation). These articles dealt with neural oscillations in the frontal cortex - auditory cortex (AC) network of bats, and the involvement of this network in vocal production and sound analysis in passive listening settings. The present proposal is thought as an elongation of the aforementioned grant. We propose two work-packages (W1 and W2) aimed to continue studying neural activity in the bat frontal-AC circuit. In W1, we will assess acoustic periodicity coding and stimulus specific adaptation in frontal and AC areas of awake bats. Such “network” approach for studying sound coding in the bat brain is unprecedented. In W2, neural activity will be studied during echolocation production induced by placing bats on a swinging pendulum. Studying the neural correlates of vocal production in bats swung on a pendulum will allow us to assess the neural underpinnings of vocalization in acoustically controlled cocktail-party-like scenarios created in the lab. The experiments proposed will produce original data which will advance knowledge on basic mechanisms of bat echolocation, but also on general principles of cortical interactions for auditory coding and vocalization behavior in mammals.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Manfred Kössl